Port based businesses, which have been lobbying for over a year against the unfair imposition of crippling backdated rates by the Government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA), are celebrating a major success for their cause, following Tuesday’s vote in the House of Lords, which accepted amendments to the Business Rates Supplements Bill. And yesterday the Government’s new Shipping Minister, Paul Clark announced the new rates for light dues for the next two years. The Business Rates Supplements Bill amendments, which were drafted by Andrew Finfer, a rating expert with Yorkshire law firm Schofield Sweeney, on behalf of the Humber Docks and Mersey Dock Rating Groups, accept the principle of no backdating without fault. Errors in rating evaluations should be borne by those responsible for the errors. There should be no backdating increase of business rates if the increase is not the fault of the business.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Progress in UK on port rates and light dues
Progress has been made in the UK this week with regard to one of the two hugely contentious issues of importance facing port operations and at least some clarification has arrived for the other.
Port based businesses, which have been lobbying for over a year against the unfair imposition of crippling backdated rates by the Government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA), are celebrating a major success for their cause, following Tuesday’s vote in the House of Lords, which accepted amendments to the Business Rates Supplements Bill. And yesterday the Government’s new Shipping Minister, Paul Clark announced the new rates for light dues for the next two years. The Business Rates Supplements Bill amendments, which were drafted by Andrew Finfer, a rating expert with Yorkshire law firm Schofield Sweeney, on behalf of the Humber Docks and Mersey Dock Rating Groups, accept the principle of no backdating without fault. Errors in rating evaluations should be borne by those responsible for the errors. There should be no backdating increase of business rates if the increase is not the fault of the business.Read More
Port based businesses, which have been lobbying for over a year against the unfair imposition of crippling backdated rates by the Government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA), are celebrating a major success for their cause, following Tuesday’s vote in the House of Lords, which accepted amendments to the Business Rates Supplements Bill. And yesterday the Government’s new Shipping Minister, Paul Clark announced the new rates for light dues for the next two years. The Business Rates Supplements Bill amendments, which were drafted by Andrew Finfer, a rating expert with Yorkshire law firm Schofield Sweeney, on behalf of the Humber Docks and Mersey Dock Rating Groups, accept the principle of no backdating without fault. Errors in rating evaluations should be borne by those responsible for the errors. There should be no backdating increase of business rates if the increase is not the fault of the business.
EU unveils IACS antitrust proposals
Brussels: The results of the 18-month investigation by EU competition officials into the International Association of Classification Societies and proposed changes to the way IACS operates have been published by the European Commission, writes Anderimar Shipping News.
In the current form of the agreement between the two bodies, IACS has offered to set up "objective and transparent membership criteria and to apply them in a uniform and non-discriminatory manner". The proposed commitments foresee detailed rules, including clear deadlines, for the different steps of the membership application, suspension and withdrawal procedure.With regard to IACS' technical working groups, which develop IACS' technical resolutions, IACS has committed itself to ensure that classification societies which are not members of IACS will nonetheless be able to participate.Read More
In the current form of the agreement between the two bodies, IACS has offered to set up "objective and transparent membership criteria and to apply them in a uniform and non-discriminatory manner". The proposed commitments foresee detailed rules, including clear deadlines, for the different steps of the membership application, suspension and withdrawal procedure.With regard to IACS' technical working groups, which develop IACS' technical resolutions, IACS has committed itself to ensure that classification societies which are not members of IACS will nonetheless be able to participate.
Drydocks World delivers self-elevating platforms
Drydocks World – Southeast Asia (DDW-SEA) has announced the recent delivery of ‘JB-114’ and ‘JB-115’ from its Drydocks World – Nanindah yard on Batam Island, Indonesia, to Self Elevating Platforms, the Netherlands.
Designed by Holland’s GustoMSC and of the SEA 2000 design, ‘JB-114’ and ‘JB-115’ are the third and fourth of this type built by DDW-SEA. Similar to the first and second vessels, which have now been renamed ‘Sea Worker’ and ‘Seafox 7’, the new monohull jack-up barges will be deployed in European waters involved in wind farm installations and related activities.Designed with a hull measuring 55.5 metres by 32.2 metres by five metres, the platforms each have a 300-tonne-capacity mounted pedestal crane together with four cylindrical legs, each with a diameter of three metres and a length of 78.85 metres.
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Designed by Holland’s GustoMSC and of the SEA 2000 design, ‘JB-114’ and ‘JB-115’ are the third and fourth of this type built by DDW-SEA. Similar to the first and second vessels, which have now been renamed ‘Sea Worker’ and ‘Seafox 7’, the new monohull jack-up barges will be deployed in European waters involved in wind farm installations and related activities.Designed with a hull measuring 55.5 metres by 32.2 metres by five metres, the platforms each have a 300-tonne-capacity mounted pedestal crane together with four cylindrical legs, each with a diameter of three metres and a length of 78.85 metres.
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VLCC spot rates continue rise on 'accelerated activity'
Spot VLCC activity in the MEG has continued to rise this week, reducing tonnage oversupply and putting rates on the ascent, brokers told Tankerworld.
MEG-East voyages were commanding close to WS 40 last week compared to low WS 30s in the previous week, but brokers tell Tankerworld that rates have picked up close to 10 Worldscale points over the past three days. Fearnleys for example says MEG-Japan and MEG-Singapore voyages are being fixed at WS 52.5 this week. In a note to Tankerworld on Wednesday, Dahlman Rose said that “the VLCC market has firmed on accelerated activity” with freight earnings to move crude from the MEG to the Far East surpassing $25,000 per day per vessel. The benchmark MEG-Korea route was earning about $19,000 per day per vessel last week. On Tuesday, 10 VLCCs were fixed to move MEG crude to the Far East, according to Dahlman Rose, and further 6-7 fixtures were being concluded on Wednesday, with 4 headed to the US.IMAREX reported that spot VLCC activity surged on Tuesday as 12 new cargoes were covered and at higher rates.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
New Wave Piercing Design for Offshore
In Oslo at Norshipping 2009 Roll-Royce debuted an innovative wave piercing design for the offshore market, the new UT 790 CD vessel design.
“With the UT 790 CD, we can support offshore exploration and production further and deeper while at the same time improving safety and minimizing the impact on the environment,” said Svein Kleven, Rolls-Royce Chief Design Manager – Offshore.The unique hull piercing design is designed to allow the vessel to run continuously at service speeds regardless of the sea state reducing fuel consumption and improving crew comfort.
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BBC Chartering steps up rebranded Asia Pacific presence
Singapore: Following the move to dissolve Asia Project Chartering Pte Ltd (APC) effective next month, Leer-based BBC Chartering is undertaking a number of developments to reinvigorate and enhance its presence in Asia Pacific markets.
The company is a specialist in heavy and over-dimensional project cargo shipping. Trades previous served under the APC brand will now be operated under the BBC Chartering name. The APC SAFE Line between Asia and the East Coast of South America is being renamed BBC Americana Line Far East Service, whilst the APC SAFE Line between Asia and the West Coast of South America will be rebranded BBC Andino Express Line Far East Service.In the rebranded trades, BBC Chartering will continue to operate from representative offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Dalian, Melbourne and Dubai, all of which will operate under the BBC Chartering name. An additional office will be opened in South Korea (Seoul) from July 1st 2009.
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Dockers’ action in Belgium leads to reprieve on five-point plan
Targeted industrial action by dockers in Belgium over employers’ inclusion of a controversial “five-point plan” in bargaining negotiations has won an agreement to put the proposal on hold.
The workers represented by two ITF-affiliated unions - ACV-Transporten Communicatie and the Belgische Transportarbeidersbond (BTB) - and the trade union federation, Algemene Centrale van Liberale Vakbonden van België, took part in stoppages on 8 June. Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge were affected.The dock workers were in dispute over port employers’ insistence on including a five-point plan in the workers’ collective bargaining negotiations for 2009/2010. The plan includes provisions to: hire workers several times a day, rather than for every shift; change the functions of some dock workers so that they no longer have “registered docker” status; reduce docker-specific social security allowances when work is not available and cut weekend and night-time working allowances. The plan would seriously impact on the dockers’ working conditions, as the employers attempt to force workers to bear the brunt of the economic crisis.
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The workers represented by two ITF-affiliated unions - ACV-Transporten Communicatie and the Belgische Transportarbeidersbond (BTB) - and the trade union federation, Algemene Centrale van Liberale Vakbonden van België, took part in stoppages on 8 June. Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge were affected.The dock workers were in dispute over port employers’ insistence on including a five-point plan in the workers’ collective bargaining negotiations for 2009/2010. The plan includes provisions to: hire workers several times a day, rather than for every shift; change the functions of some dock workers so that they no longer have “registered docker” status; reduce docker-specific social security allowances when work is not available and cut weekend and night-time working allowances. The plan would seriously impact on the dockers’ working conditions, as the employers attempt to force workers to bear the brunt of the economic crisis.
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